408 



JOURNAL OP HORTIODLTURE AND COTTAGE QABUENEB. 



[ May 31, 1877. 



true plant so called by Planobon. The present plate was 

 made from a specimen sent by Mr. G. E. Sheath, which 

 flowered in the garden of M. H. Beaufoy, Esq., at South 

 Lambeth in December, 1S7 6. "—{Ibid., t. 6289.) 



EoNDELETiA Backhousii. Wa(. or(i., RubiaceiB. Lmn.,Pent- 

 andriaMonogynia.— Flowers pink. "This charming plant was 

 received from Messrs. Backhouse of Tork about the year 1800, 

 without locaUty or name, and has been cultivated ever since 

 in the Palm house at Kew, where it flowers freely annually 

 in autumn, but does not fruit. Named in compliment to its 

 introducers, Messrs. Backhouse of York, who can give no in- 

 formation as to its origin, but suppose that it was obtained 

 from their continental correspondent." — [Ibid., t. 6290.) 



Gladiolus ochroleucds. Nat. ord., Iridaceje. Linn., Tri- 

 andria Monogynia. — " The present plant was discovered by 

 the Rev. E. Baur in Transkeian Kaffraria, and was first sent 

 to the Kew herbarium by our indefatigable correspondent Mr. 

 McOwan in 1874. Mr. Baur describes it as growing in grassy 

 places at an elevation of 2000 feet above sea level, and flower- 

 ing in March. We owe the iiitroduction of it in a living state 

 to Mr. Bull, who imported it from the Transvaal territory and 

 flowered it last autumn." — {Ibid., t. C291). 



Agave (LiTTcEA) Sabtobii. A'at. orii., Amaryllidaoeaa. Linn., 

 Hexandria Monogynia. — Flowers yellow. " It was first intro- 

 duced to the Berlin botanic garden by Dr. Eohrbach about 

 1850, and has since been received from the district of Orizaba, 

 in Mexico. Oar first notice of its flowering is by Dr. Schnitts- 

 pahn in 1857 in the ' Zoitsohrift des Gartenbauvercines zn 

 Darmstadt.'"— (Ifciii., t. 6292.) 



Peaes— JjrtirnJ Cecilc and Beurre de Jonghe. — " Two little- 

 known winter Pears, of excellent quality — so good indeed, that 

 they may with propriety be added to any collection in which 

 they do not already exist. Amiral Cecile (Boisbunel). — This 

 fine Pear, which is of Continental origin, and is comparatively 

 new, fruited for the first time some five years ago in the 

 gardens of the Eoyal Horticultural Society at Chiswiok, where 

 it is much esteemed. It begins to ripen shortly after Christ- 

 mas, and continues in use until the end of January. For a 

 Pear ripening at that season there are few to equal it, the flesh 

 being as melting and juicy as any Pear in the month of October, 

 and of an exceedingly rich and luscious character. It may be 

 thus described: — Fruit rather below medium size, roundish or 

 oblate, a good deal flattened at the eye, which is wide and 

 open. The skin is dull green, changing to a reddish-lemon 

 colour as it ripens, with patches of russet round the eye and 

 stalk. The stalk is short ; the flesh is very buttery and melt- 

 ing, slightly tinged with pink, extremely rich and luscious. 

 The tree forms naturally a handsome pyramid ; it succeeds 

 well on the Quince, and is an abundant bearer. Beurre de 

 Jonghf (Gambler). — This is another comparatively new Pear, 

 dedicated to M. de Jonghe of Brussels : a late one also, and 

 one of very great excellence. The Rev. G. Kemp first sub- 

 mitted examples of it to the Fruit Committee in 1875, when it 

 was unanimously awarded a first-class certificate. It is a Pear 

 that seems well suited to the climate of this country, which 

 very many of the Belgian Pears are not. The fruit is of 

 medium size, of a true pyriform shape, very regular and even, 

 tapering to the stalk, which is short and fleshy, inserted a little 

 on one side, and always having the appearance of having been 

 broken off. The eye is small and open^nearly level with the 

 surface of the fruit. The flesh is greenish yellow, very buttery 

 and melting, with a fine rich flavour, and slightly perfumed. 

 This fine Pear ripens during the month of January, and is 

 equal in flavour to the best of the earlier varieties. It ia a 

 valuable acquisition, and ought to be in every collection." — 

 (Florist and Pomolor/ist, 3 8., X. 61.) 



Apple— IF/nfc Winter C(;h>iHe.^"Wehavein this one of the 

 handsomest and best of Apples — one, moreover, which can be 

 depended on as a valuable dessert fruit in the winter season, 

 since it may be placed on the table in good condition from 

 about Christmas until Easter. There is a peculiar delicacy 

 in the tender melting flesh and grateful aromatic lemon flavour, 

 almost making one fancy while eating a fruit which has just 

 arrived at a fit condition, that he is taking a lemon ice while 

 snifiing the flowers of Magnolia grandiflora. 



" This Apple is very successfully cultivated at Treutham by 

 Mr. Stevens. It is grown in pots, which are stood at intervals 

 along the long ranges of Peach oases, which cover so large a 

 proportion of the garden wall at that place. They have, there- 

 fore, virtually orchard-house treatment, and well they repay 

 all the advantages which are accorded to them. One of these 

 pot-grown trees was produced a few weeks since at South Ken- 



sington, showing the crop it had matured last season, and as 

 an example of sucoessfiil management was voted a cultural 

 commendation. The fruit is of large size, with broad unequal 

 ribs extending from base to apex, where they terminate in 

 prominent ridges. The skin ia of a pale delicate yellow hue, 

 becoming when fully matured a bright golden yellow strewed 

 with brown dots. The eye is small and closed, with pointed 

 segments, set in a deep-ribbed basin ; the stalk is three-quar- 

 ters of an inch long, slender, inserted in a deep angular cavity 

 lined with russet. The flesh is yellowish white, very tender 

 and delicate, full of juice, with a lively aromatic flavouring of 

 lemons. It ia not only an excellent dessert fruit, but ia also 

 adapted for all culinary purposes. This variety is much re- 

 commended as a cordon on the French Paradise stock, for 

 which and for pot culture it seems better adapted than to be 

 grown as a standard tree." — {Flor. and Pom., 3 a., x. 73.) 



TABLE DECORATION. 



Thebe is no better way for growing Lycopod for table deco- 

 ration in winter than placing it in the open air in a sheltered 

 place — no matter about the sun shining on it provided it is 

 kept thoroughly moist, and growing in a moist sheltered 

 position. In the open air it forms a dense, stiff, dark green 

 cushion which will in winter stand a deal of hard usage. We 

 have found it stand four winters in the open air without pro- 

 tection, except the shelter of some evergreen shrubs amongst 

 which it was growing. Plenty of this Lycopod may, therefore, 

 be grown with little trouble in pots, pane, boxes, troughs, or 

 planted out ; if planted out it lifts easily in dense patches 

 without feeling the disturbance. We have found small shallow 

 troughs of wood very handy for getting it up in quantity, with 

 a thin mass of confined roots, easily applied to the carrying- 

 out of any idea. Long narrow strips of troughs about 2 inches 

 wide by 1 inch deep, when filled with a little rich soil and 

 planted thickly with the Lycopod and grown into a compact 

 green mass, answer well for wavy lines on the table ; the moss 

 can be turned out of the little troughs and placed on the table- 

 cloth roots downwards ; of course the strips of moss can be 

 bent into any shape desirable, surrounding the base of cande- 

 labra or other ornaments, and will form the base in which to 

 insert flowers or sprays of Fern. Or troughs made of tin, of 

 any conceivable shape, IJ inch by J inch, may have the Lyco- 

 pod grown in them, to remain and to form a groundwork for 

 cut flowers of all sorts ; the dark green Lycopod harmonises 

 with any colour. These tin troughs are best made in straight 

 pieces, right angle pieces, or arcs of circles of various sizes; 

 indeed there is no end to the extravageut devices which are 

 and may be made with those things in variety ; which, after 

 all, are toys and bordering on the ridiculous, but which are 

 serious trifles to the gardener when the consumption and 

 waste of flowers are taken into account. 



The filling of vases or shallow glasses with cut flowers for 

 table decoration is often a puzzle to some, even supposing the 

 flowers are plentiful. Given a shallow dish and a certain 

 amount of oomeatable flowers, how to begin ? It is in this, as 

 in bouquet-making, or anything else ; first conceive an outline 

 of a plan in imagination to work by, and the thing becomes 

 easy. Bold flowers are always the best for table decoration : 

 such as Lilies in summer, or Amaryllis, Poinsettias in winter, 

 Camellia elegans or forced Tulips ; a few of those to fqrm the 

 skeleton of the plan gives a base from which to work at once, 

 inserting them widely apart, filling up with sprays of minor 

 flowers. Ferns, and Grasses. Smaller flowers of Camellias, 

 such as variabilis, make good margins for a basket of flowers ; 

 or Euphorbia jacquiniieflora. And few things, common or 

 choice, can match the Fuchsia when to be had. Rhododen- 

 drons are stiff in the solid truss as cut flowers, but when broken 

 up into single pips they make neat margins for cups of flowers 

 or epergnes, or when wired or tied on pieces of Privet or other 

 twigs with a bit of Fern, the single flowers of the Rhododen- 

 dron are very workable and telling. In making up any com- 

 position of flowers for the dinner-table stiffness should be 

 avoided. The Chinese Primula always looks well with candle- 

 light, and it must be tied on twigs of some sort to make it 

 stand up ; the same applies to many other common things, 

 such as Tulips, Gesueras, Gloxinia flowers. In making up 

 dishes of flowers from day to day, of whatever shape, for table 

 decoration, there is no better medium in which to insert the 

 flowers than pure white wet sand ; the colour is not offensive 

 when used in glass, is always clean, and it is suflioiently stiff 

 to hold the stalks of flowers in position. 



